9 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Sale Title Image

The decision to sell your home is life-changing. Moving, shopping for a new place to live, the uncertainty of getting your asking price--these aspects add to the stress of a move. Some aspects of the process are out of your control; however, there are many things that you can do that can have a dramatic impact on the sale of your home.

I have found these 9 simple preparation steps will help get you the best possible results.

#1 Prepare yourself

woman meditating among candles and incense

Your mindset towards selling your house is critical. Once you decide to sell, it’s not your house anymore. Think of it as a rental that you want to get your deposit back on.  

Many people, especially those who have lived in the same home for a long time, become attached. These attachments can hinder the selling process and create a tense atmosphere. This will be counterproductive to the sales process.

You have decided to sell your home—it is now a business transaction between yourself and any potential buyers.

They are not going to pay extra for your home because your children grew up there. Odds are they have children of their own, and they want to create those memories for themselves.  

For most people, keeping a house in a state ready for showing becomes tiresome. Having strangers critique every aspect of your house can be disheartening. Be prepared for this and have the mindset that it's business, not personal. 

Remember—if you are moving up or downsizing, you can nitpick all the little things in the houses you look at as payback!

#2 De-personalize your home

Everyone says this and there is a reason.  

People by and large have issues seeing past the surface. By having your home filled with your photos and keepsakes, the prospective buyer’s mind will see someone else’s home, not theirs.  

You need to make your house as free from personal mementos as possible. This enables the new buyers to see their personal items in place.  

The reality is, complete strangers do not care about your family photos or trophies showing seven consecutive men’s league softball championships.

They need to see a place to put their bowling trophies and the portrait of great Aunt Mildred (who just happened to have left them enough for the down payment).

#3 Cleanliness is next to godliness  

cleaner, sponges and cleaning gloves

Your home needs to be clean. Not normal, neighbor-is-coming-over clean but clean like the Queen-is-coming-for-tea.  

Prepping your home for sale is all about removing barriers to someone new moving in. If the windows are dirty, grout is grimy and the floors are dingy, people will see this and start adding it to the reasons why not to buy your house.  

Everyone makes a checklist of some kind and weighs the pros and cons on whether they should buy your home. While many items that will be on these pro/con lists are out of your control (location, style of home, etc.), the things that are in your control need to be on point.

Having the home clean and presentable is paramount.

#4 Don’t forget the outside!

lawn mower

Mow the lawn, rake the leaves, roll up the hose. Points #3 and #4 go hand-in-hand. Together they present to home buyers that there is pride of ownership and the home is well-maintained. 

Imagine you are given a choice between two identical homes.

The first has jungle instead of a lawn and trash lying about.

The second has a manicured lawn and a couple of flowers in front.  

Which one will be worth more? Which one are you going to buy if the price is the same?  

It’s a no brainer that people will pass by the house with no curb appeal and be attracted to the well looked after house.

People who do go to the ugly home will be looking for that diamond in the rough, and will make their offer accordingly.  

Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. The view from the street will be the first in-person impression your home will make with potential buyers. It needs to be good as this will set the tone for the rest of the visit. If the first impression is negative, people will look for all the things that they do not like.

If the buyer is focusing on the negatives, they are less likely to buy your home.

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#5 Get rid of all your stuff

You removed a lot of your family photos and keepsakes. Fantastic, but where did you put it all?  

You are smart, and as you are moving anyway, you boxed it all up and stored it in the garage/basement/crawlspace.  

Unfortunately, you have created a problem in the buyer’s eyes.  

There is no storage.  

One thing that I hear at model home showings is that the house has so much storage—the closets are huge!  

Are they? Or are they just empty?

You need to showcase all aspects of your home. Everyone has stuff that they rarely use like Christmas decorations, or seasonal items like skis and snowboards. These all take up space and need a place to be stored when not in use. The people looking at your home do not know what is in all the boxes. They just see a room filled with your stuff that takes up the space where they want to put their stuff.  

Get a storage locker and store the items you do not need there, or impose on friends and relatives to let you store some items at their homes. Yes, it’s a pain to move everything and there can be costs involved. By moving unused items out of the home, it once again opens space that people can see and imagine how they would use.  

There are probably 20 things in your closet that you have not worn in the last year. You are not going to miss them by having them in a box in storage for a couple of months. Allow a buyer to look in your closet and see there is plenty of space for all the items they have not worn in the last year.

#6 Kitchens and baths sell homes

Kitchens and bathrooms are two of the most important rooms when it comes to selling your home.list of pros and cons of a hypothetical home buyer  They deserve some special attention.  

Not only do they need to be clean but also kept clutter free. Many bathrooms have limited storage and are are especially prone to clutter. Minimizing this is crucial.  

The problem is, potential buyers typically see the clutter and again think there is no storage.

I know in our home the bathroom counter has various lotions, creams, potions, makeup, tooth brushes, etc. I am told these are all vital for our day-to-day existence. Under the sink there is a further myriad of products that, while less critical, are indispensable.  

I understand that just because your home is for sale your life needs to go on. Take a few moments to remove some of the less needed items.  

Tidy up daily to present your home in the best light.  

Kitchens are another area where clutter can be an issue. Counter tops should be clear, drawers and cabinets should not be overstuffed. Even the fridge should be neat and clutter free.  

Show buyers that everything has a place with plenty of room to spare.  

Buyers will be putting a check in the pro or con list when looking at your kitchen and bathrooms. Do everything possible to make sure it is a Pro.

#7 Fix the little things

Person holding a drill

Have a hinge that squeaks? Give it a shot of WD40 to quiet it down.  

Loose knob on the cabinet door? Grab a screwdriver and tighten it.  

Replace burnt out bulbs, fix leaking faucets and all those little things that you have put off doing.  

Again, it’s about minimizing the items that show up in a prospective buyer’s list of Cons.  

Most of these little things are repairable with a couple of dollars and a bit of time.  

Say you have a door that is hard to close. Unless something drastic has happened, odds are it just came out of adjustment over the years. A bit of sanding and some paint, and it’s good as new.  Leave it, and what does the buyer think? The foundation is cracked and the house is not level or that little Johnny used to hang off it and pulled it out of alignment. They do not know and only see potential dollar signs to repair.

#8 Address the big things  

Work with your Realtor to address any major repairs that may be needed.  

You cannot hide the issues so have a plan.  

Does the roof leak? If you are not going to repair it, at the least get a few estimates on what it will cost to fix. Old appliances? See what the cost is to replace with something new and up-to-date. This knowledge will help you when it comes time to negotiate.  

Say you discount the price of your home by $15,000 due to a roof issue. This was the average estimate you got from local, reputable roofers. If a buyer says they got an estimate of $30,000 from their brother-in-law’s nephew for the same work, you are ready and can tell them you are not financing their gold-plated roof.  

This prior preparation gives you a solid foundation to counter any ridiculous claims.

#9 Paint, this time it is personal

person putting paint on a paint roller

How many people do you know who enjoy painting their home?

I bet it's not many (it’s not me…seriously, don’t call me to help).  

Colors and styles are subjective. It is impossible to say that painting the walls grey/brown/blue/yellow…is the way to go.  

Most people will assume that when buying a new home, they are going to have to do some painting.  

What I do suggest is you address any paint problems. Peeling paint on the doors and trim again give the impression that the home is not well-maintained. Did you take down a lot of photos leaving the nail holes? Patch them and paint the wall.  

Most common issues can be fixed in an afternoon with a little sweat, equity, and a bucket of paint.  

If you are repainting, going with a neutral color is your best bet. The nice thing about neutral colors is that while they may not be anyone’s favorite, they will also probably not be a colour anyone hates. Remember though that white is not a neutral colour. It may look crisp and clean to some; to others, it is cold and sterile. So, pick an earth tone.  

I tend to give a pass on children's rooms. For the buyers, it does show some personality and a sense of family to have a bright pink room or one with a firehouse theme. It can create an image of a lifestyle or a fun project that can be undertaken to personalize the room for the new buyer’s children.  

Or they will hate it as they want to use it for a home office.

The reality is, few people will do all nine of these things.  

Even if you do, there is no guarantee that these will be the deciding factor in how fast your home sells or for how much.

What I can say is by doing these, you will be presenting your home in the best possible way.  

Think of the last time you sold a car. How long did you spend cleaning it out before showing it to anyone? Now how much more is your house worth compared to that used car?  

Your home is too valuable an asset to not put in the time and effort to show it at its best. It’s up to you to decide if the effort is worth the potential rewards.